Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) passed away last night at the age of 77 after a battle with brain cancer. Kennedy, a Catholic, will be remembered for his service to the poor, and dedication to education but also his opposition to pro-life issues.

After a long struggle with brain cancer, last night Sen. Kennedy took a turn for the worse while at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Surrounded by his family members and a priest, Fr. Patrick Tarrant, he passed away around 11:30 p.m.

Fr. Tarrant told BostonChannel.com that Kennedy died while his family prayed. They'd been praying all day, and it was a wonderful experience for me. I don't see it that often," Tarrant said.

Kennedy, known as Ted was the younger brother of both U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Sen. (D-NY) Robert Kennedy who were both assassinated in the 1960s. Their sister, Eunice Kennedy Schriver, who was lauded by the pro-life community died exactly two weeks ago at the age of 88.

The family released a statement following his death saying, Weve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever.

The Lord, in His magnificent mercy, allowed Ted a slow death. [and time to prepare]
And a priest to give him a last confession and Last Rites [aka annointing of the sick].
It gives me relief that he had these.

As i said before, i didnt agree with Ted. Esp the abortion stance, and something i have fear for, but i also believe the Lord's Mercy and Justice in that Mercy is so great that we all have hope.

"Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice..."

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932  August 25, 2009) was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. In office since November 1962, Kennedy served nine terms in the Senate. At the time of his death, he was the second most senior member of the Senate, after Robert Byrd of West Virginia, and the third-longest-serving senator in U.S. history. He was best known as one of the most outspoken and effective Senate proponents of progressive causes and bills. For many years the most prominent living member of the Kennedy family, he was the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both victims of assassinations, and the father of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.

Kennedy was known for his oratorical power: his 1968 eulogy for his brother Robert and his 1980 Democratic National Convention rallying cry for American liberalism being among his best-known moments.

Kennedy was the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He became known as "The Lion of the Senate", due to his long history and influence in the legislature. More than 300 bills that Kennedy and his staff wrote have been enacted into law. Kennedy played a major role in passing many laws that have affected the lives of all Americans, including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974, the COBRA Act of 1985, the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Ryan White AIDS Care Act in 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Mental Health Parity Act in 1996 and 2008, the State Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997, the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009.

Kennedy battled a malignant brain tumor first diagnosed in May 2008, which greatly limited his appearances in the Senate; though he survived longer than doctors first predicted, he died just before midnight on August 25, 2009 at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

This from Fr.Z's blog along with a bunch of other Catholic commentary on the death of Ted Kennedy & his Catholicism. Prayers for Ted Kennedy's soul of course but his death really seems to be bringing the op's out of the Catholic woodwork. Just like Michael Jackson's death. With any public figure it seems people either keep a realistic view or go off practically canonizing them. I've never really understood these extreme reactions. Got to say, I think Fr. Z seems to be a bit uncharitiable in his reaction.

At the passing of the&#8230; do we have to hear the cliche one more time&#8230; okay "liberal lion" of the Senate, absolutely committed pro-abortion Catholic Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), reactions &#8211; especially panegyrics &#8211; are coming in from the weak-identity Catholics.

On the site of the ultra-liberal, dissenting &#8230; wait for it&#8230; National Catholic Reporter Sr. Maureen Fiedler has a reaction to the passing of Sen. Kennedy:

He made me proud to be a Catholic
by Maureen Fiedler on Aug. 26, 2009

I don&#8217;t often cry when a public figure dies. [Cry cry cry&#8230;] This morning, I cried when I heard the news that Senator Ted Kennedy had passed away.

I "grew up" with the Kennedy Clan. I remember how John Kennedy broke the "Catholic barrier" with his election in 1960. I remember Robert Kennedy&#8217;s prophetic words as he ran for President in 1968&#8230; his fearless embrace of the &#8220;least of these&#8221; and his opposition to the War in Vietnam. And I remember the wrenching agony of the two Kennedy assassinations.

But today feels a bit like the end of an era. [Oh Lord&#8230; if only&#8230;] Ted Kennedy, like his brothers, was a champion of civil rights, women&#8217;s rights, [NB: liberals usually classify abortion as a matter of "women&#8217;s rights"] and the welfare of the &#8220;least of these.&#8221; [Unless, of course, you hadn&#8217;t yet been born. How million is it at now, Sister? And the "least of these" who were killed before birth would have paid into the coffers through their sweat so that entitlement programs would have been easier to pay for.][People can have differing opinions over that war, but Catholics cannot take a benign view of other Catholics who for decades give the greatest sort of public scandal on the matter of the sanctity of life and the corruption of Catholic identity in the public square.] He strongly and eloquently opposed the war in Iraq. Because his life (and the lives of others in his family) embraced the great Catholic social justice tradition, [? So, abortion is not in her mind, a matter of social justice. Gotchya.] they have made me proud to be a Catholic.

So I guess now&#8230; the torch has been passed&#8230; to us. [Meaning&#8230;what? That she is now going to soldier on publicly for unrestricted abortion?]
​

I try to abstain from judging because i always hope...even the most vile of sins will be met with the Lord's mercy - thru at least purgation.

Again, i didn't agree with him, and didn't like his political view points that were polar opposite to the Church.

I just want to hope he has been forgiven....
I don't like thinking anything else.
SO i wont be singing his praises, and i will never agree with him. But i will pray and hope he may have skipped [via justice - purgation] any eternal torment thru the choices he made.

I am not qualified to judge him, but i can see his legacy was not fully pro Catholic.

I try to abstain from judging because i always hope...even the most vile of sins will be met with the Lord's mercy - thru at least purgation.

Again, i didn't agree with him, and didn't like his political view points that were polar opposite to the Church.

I just want to hope he has been forgiven....
I don't like thinking anything else.
SO i wont be singing his praises, and i will never agree with him. But i will pray and hope he may have skipped [via justice - purgation] any eternal torment thru the choices he made.

I am not qualified to judge him, but i can see his legacy was not pro Catholic.

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I completely agree. Theres not much in Ted Kennedys capacity as a senator that I agree with as a matter of fact, I cant think of a single thing off the top of my head. Quite frankly, the love fest the media is playing with him is despicable. As pointed out on another thread by another poster, Senator Kennedy had a very large skeleton in his closet. The media types calling it simply an indiscretion is about the most unjust use of the term I think anyone can imagine. He also was an unapologetic supporter of abortion rights. If he had used his tremendous presence in the senate to defend the helpless in the womb, how many lives could he have saved?

Regardless of those and other short comings of the man, I am not God. I can not determine what amount of mercy our Lord gave Senator Kennedy. Thats between the two of them. I can, and will, judge his actions when he was alive. Im sorry, but I couldnt stand the man. Never the less, he deserves my prayers. May he have found redemption.

Michie here is a secret. We all are going to leavve mixed legacies. There will be some that will say that Michie was such and such. We all fall short of the glory of God.

The kennedys also suffered greatly in Life, Joe was shot down, John was assasinated, Robert was assasinated, Teds son lost his leg fron cancer. But I was listening to Congressman Delahunt on the radio here in Boston tonight, he said that Ted would be up every morning at 5:30 and work to midnight. He always brought the bacon home.

I completely agree. Theres not much in Ted Kennedys capacity as a senator that I agree with as a matter of fact, I cant think of a single thing off the top of my head. Quite frankly, the love fest the media is playing with him is despicable. As pointed out on another thread by another poster, Senator Kennedy had a very large skeleton in his closet. The media types calling it simply an indiscretion is about the most unjust use of the term I think anyone can imagine. He also was an unapologetic supporter of abortion rights. If he had used his tremendous presence in the senate to defend the helpless in the womb, how many lives could he have saved?

Regardless of those and other short comings of the man, I am not God. I can not determine what amount of mercy our Lord gave Senator Kennedy. Thats between the two of them. I can, and will, judge his actions when he was alive. Im sorry, but I couldnt stand the man. Never the less, he deserves my prayers. May he have found redemption.

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I am sure God hears your heartfelt prayers , and your feelings of not being able to "stand the man"

Michie here is a secret. We all are going to leavve mixed legacies. There will be some that will say that Michie was such and such. We all fall short of the glory of God.

The kennedys also suffered greatly in Life, Joe was shot down, John was assasinated, Robert was assasinated, Teds son lost his leg fron cancer. But I was listening to Congressman Delahunt on the radio here in Boston tonight, he said that Ted would be up every morning at 5:30 and work to midnight. He always brought the bacon home.

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No kidding?

Ahem, yeah, I know. My point being that most op's are either one extreme or the other. People will turn on a dime when they hear of a public figure's death. I find it puzzling as I stated in the second post I made.

Ahem, yeah, I know. My point being that most op's are either one extreme or the other. People will turn on a dime when they hear of a public figure's death. I find it puzzling as I stated in the second post I made.

I completely agree. Theres not much in Ted Kennedys capacity as a senator that I agree with as a matter of fact, I cant think of a single thing off the top of my head. Quite frankly, the love fest the media is playing with him is despicable. As pointed out on another thread by another poster, Senator Kennedy had a very large skeleton in his closet. The media types calling it simply an indiscretion is about the most unjust use of the term I think anyone can imagine. He also was an unapologetic supporter of abortion rights. If he had used his tremendous presence in the senate to defend the helpless in the womb, how many lives could he have saved?

Regardless of those and other short comings of the man, I am not God. I can not determine what amount of mercy our Lord gave Senator Kennedy. Thats between the two of them. I can, and will, judge his actions when he was alive. Im sorry, but I couldnt stand the man. Never the less, he deserves my prayers. May he have found redemption.

Well Fantine, the problem with the legacy is it becomes like a balloon where those who taught immoral things - such as abortion rights - are then canonized by media and public alike.

Ppl will think he was so wonderful [and dont see the flaws] that they begin to think he was the Catholic role model.
Which is occurring as the media plays his faith over and over...and then list his attributes which they include abortion rights. AS though...

We are sent to purgation [and perhaps he skipped that - i dont know] not because we are flawed, but because of the residual affects our sins left behind.

And if he caused ppl to consider his stance as Catholic - which it is NOT...then somehow he may be suffering for that support which is against God's Laws that led many babies to their early deaths.
As i said - i don't know...
But i am not going to say - in light of the media's portrayal he was 100&#37; saintly - that we should forget what he preached.

No, we should NOTE his flaws and why he needs prayers.... for in case.SO others do NOT think he was in line with the Church's teachings.

The fact that we are all, public and private figures, powerful and ordinary figures, ultimately imperfect isn't newsworthy.

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His sister Eunice died 2 weeks earlier, and i read her biography somewhat.
Since her older sister was disabled, Eunice remembered her parents teaching her...Those given much - much is expected from.
Teddy was taught the same i am certain.

Eunice began the special olympics. She wanted to give back because much was expected from her.

Obviously, public figures may have flaws, as we all do, but they also have a certain responsibility - more is expected from them - in regard to much more than the private person.For they are in the public and what they say and do affects a nation.